Shloka 21
ब्रह्मास्त्रेणैेव तं पार्थो ववर्ष शरवृष्टिभि: । तदस्त्रमस्त्रेणावार्य प्रजहार च पाण्डव:
brahmāstreṇaiva taṃ pārtho vavarṣa śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ | tad astram astreṇāvārya prajahāra ca pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian Pārtha (Arjuna), dengan Brahmāstra juga, mencurahkan hujan anak panah ke atasnya. Menangkis senjata itu dengan senjatanya sendiri, sang Pāṇḍava menghentam dengan keras dan mencederakannya dengan parah—menunjukkan logik perang yang suram, bahawa kekuatan dibalas dengan kekuatan, walaupun senjata yang dipanggil itu bertaraf tertinggi.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of proportional response within kṣatriya warfare: a dangerous weapon (astra) is checked by an appropriate counter-weapon, emphasizing skill, restraint through method (neutralizing first), and the harsh necessity of force when dharma is pursued through war.
Arjuna uses the Brahmāstra to overwhelm his opponent with a dense shower of arrows. He then neutralizes the opponent’s weapon with his own and follows up with a decisive strike, leaving the enemy badly wounded.